Submitting Institution: Open University

REF impact found 58 Case Studies

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Summary of the impact

We have optimised aerospace structural designs and assessment methods
through development
and application of hybrid residual stress characterisation techniques. Our
research results on
bonded crack retarders have redirected industry development programmes on
hybrid metal
laminate material systems and been used to evaluate reinforced structural
concepts for US Air
Force wing and fuselage applications. Methods to assess and mitigate
maintenance-induced
damage have been developed and implemented based on our research. Our
contour
measurement technology has been transferred to the US Air Force, which now
has the capability
to perform measurements in-house and support work with both NASA and the
US Navy.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

This case study assesses the impact of a series of knowledge exchange and
public engagement projects undertaken in London and Northern Ireland
between 2009 and 2013. These projects have made innovative applied use of
a substantial body of research into modern British and Irish religious
history conducted in the Unit.

This activity has:

achieved greater historical literacy among religious practitioners

raised awareness of the importance of religious archives

informed the Church of England's policy and strategic thinking for the
future

provided substantial online resources for local research and `history
audits' and supported their use

enhanced understanding among practitioners in Northern Ireland of the
historical and religious dimensions of conflict in the province.

Summary of the impact

This case study demonstrates the impact of an inter-related body of
research, undertaken by The Open University's (OU) Centre for Ageing and
Biographical Studies, upon the ways in which older people experience
everyday ageism, housing and design, and end-of-life care. The research
has provided evidence for charities and non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) seeking to shape government legislation, initiate action on
age-friendly environments, and to change care practice. As a result it has
helped inform the UK's Equality Act 2010, new guidance on toilets in
public spaces, user-friendly extra-care housing and an exemplary training
programme on end-of-life care in care homes.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Social Work and Social Policy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Dr Rosa Hoekstra engages in research on the biological, cultural and
cognitive aspects of autism, and in communicating the findings of these
studies to a wider audience. Her involvement in developing a rapid
quantitative instrument of autistic traits has aided diagnostic practice.
Through The Open University's OpenLearn website and open educational
resources associated with the Health Education And Training (HEAT)
programme, Hoekstra contributes to raising autism awareness both in the UK
and abroad.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Research on the history, repertoires and performance cultures of brass
instruments has reconfigured the international music community's
understanding of how brass instruments have been played in the past and
has unveiled new repertoires. The results are new understandings of
performance techniques and instrumentation that continue to influence
creative practice among leading professional performers. The findings from
the research are recognised as major points of reference for professional
and amateur performers, and have also contributed to work in the heritage
industry and to that of print and broadcast media professionals. The
research has also been translated for wider consumption in pivotal
publications such as Grove Music Online, which features new
entries on bands and individual brass instruments. The research also
inspired Music in Words, the seminal textbook for teachers and
students of music performance outside the higher education sector.

Summary of the impact

Vincent Gauci and The Open University (OU) Ecosystems Research Group have
demonstrated
human influences over exchanges of carbon within vulnerable, temperate and
tropical wetland
ecosystems, which are the largest source of the powerful greenhouse gas
methane to the
atmosphere. The group's work showing that acid rain pollution suppresses
methane emissions
from wetlands has influenced policy in the UK, particularly peatland
restoration, where the group
has had direct interaction with users. The group's work on carbon balance
resulting from
deforestation, drainage and fires in the carbon-rich Bornean peat swamp
has also informed
IPCC methodologies for carbon balance calculations in its 2013 Wetlands
Supplement.

Summary of the impact

Through the production of policy and practice reports, public engagement
events, provision of
continuing professional development (CPD) and training for practitioners,
and dialogue with key
stakeholders in government, the research team on sexuality and intimacy in
the OU has had a
direct impact on policy and practice concerning intimate lives in the UK.
In particular, they have
effected change in policy and public understandings of both bisexuality
and intimate relationships.
Underpinning this work is a motivation to shape contemporary debates about
our intimate lives to
further social justice and improve quality of life.

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Research by geographers at The Open University (OU) in the three research
clusters, Space and Power, Culture and Practice and Environment
and Politics, has led to changes in how global issues, including
environmental change, are portrayed in the media, particularly by the BBC.
Building on the notion of `interdependence', the research generated fresh
thinking at a strategic level, leading to changes in the tone of
broadcasts and the commissioning of new programmes, as well as introducing
discussion of `interdependence' into wider public debate. These impacts
have been rooted in geographical thinking about spatial relationships in
producing places and publics, and media representations of these
interrelations.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration, Political Science, Sociology

Summary of the impact

The longevity of volcano impact monitoring projects is a strong argument
for the involvement of citizen scientists and volunteers. Professor Rymer
and colleagues have run several long-term volcano projects in
collaboration with the charity Earthwatch. Over 500 citizen scientists
have collected geophysical and environmental data since 2000. The work has
impacted on the lives of the volunteers, who are engaged and enthused by
scientific research, park wardens in Nicaragua who continue to monitor
long-term SO2 release, and authorities in Costa Rica, Iceland,
Italy and Nicaragua who use the citizen science data to mitigate the
environmental effects of persistent volcanism.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

The ESRC Innogen Centre brought together a multiplicity of disciplines
for a large 12-year
research programme (2002-14) on the impact of regulation on innovation
dynamics in the life
sciences. Research design promoted interactions between stakeholders to
achieve policy impact.
Innogen developed a range of tooIs to disseminate research findings and
influence policy in
Europe, the African Union (AU), Kenya, Qatar and at the OECD. We used
secondments and
temporary placements to achieve impact, as well as more traditional
activities and outputs,
resulting in major policy impacts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Anthropology and Development Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health ServicesStudies In Human Society: Policy and AdministrationLaw and Legal Studies: Law